Lessons in Lightness: The Art of Educating the Horse » (First edition)

Veteran horse trainer Mark Russell studied twenty years ago with legendary dressage master Nuno Oliveira, an experience that revealed to him the concept of riding in lightness and forever changed his outlook on horsemanship. Today he trains horses and riders from his home base in Tennessee.

Andrea W. Steele is a native of England and a lifelong equestrian. She met Mark Russell in the early 1980s and has followed his vision for riding in lightness ever since. She lives on a small farm in Durham, Connecticut, with her husband and their horses and many other animals.

A veteran trainer shows how to use traditional dressage exercises for optimum performance and communication between horse and rider.

Foreword   Bettina Drummond     vii
Preface     x
Acknowledgments     xiii
Understanding Lightness     1
Meet the Horses/How to Use This Book     9
Teaching Lightness     13
The Three Phases of Training     21
Working In Hand     27
The TMJ     30
Relaxing the Jaw     33
Lengthening Down     37
The Halt     40
Rein-Back     42
Shoulders-In     45
Counter-Shoulders-In     50
Half-Pass     54
Summary of Work In Hand     57
Longeing     61
Body Mechanics of Horse and Rider     71
Tack and Accessories     81
Phase I: Beginning the Circle     91
Phase II: Building a Working Frame     105
Phase II: Lateral Work Under Saddle     111
Shoulders-In     115
Counter-Shoulders-In     119
Half-Pass     122
Travers     126
Renvers     129
The Half-Halt     133
Rein-Back     139
Yielding the Chest     145
Developing the Canter     147
Cantering the Circle     149
Developing Collection     151
Transitions     155
Phase III: Counter-Canter     159
Phase III: Flying Changes     165
Afterword     171
Key Terms     173
Recommended Reading     175
About the Authors     177